Omaha daily bee., 1887-03-07
LONDON LIBRARIES.
They Flourish Among . People with
Leisure for Reading.

great reading people, But there Is tnlS
difference between the English and the
body reads. In England there is an
especial reading class only who most pat
ronizc the stalls. At least a million En-.
glish speaking people from this class are
possessed of good incomes. These in.
comes vary from colossal sums. such as
the Duke OF Westminster and other
dukes and duchesses eijoy, down to the
more modest but comparatively ample
income of curate's son or daughter
whose grandsire or granddam left an an
nuity. What else have they to do If they
do not read? And reading creates the
demand for supplies of reading matter.
Authors are therefore in great favor here,
where reading Is veritable profession,
indeed, almost the only occupation of
a class. These facts, after only short
residence IN London, answered myques-
tioning, "Who supports these book stalls
and these myriad libraries.
First of all, as being most familiar to
Americans. there is Nudes. having
street, Cheapside, near the noted Bank
of England. Another branch is in Regent
street, in the midst of ladies' haberdash
cry shops, as they call 'stOres" for fem
mine wear here. And the third. or main
one, Is the favorite, and is in Oxford
street, Immediately in the vicinity of the
British museum, on the next street rum
ming parallel to the one on which is tho
museum. Let me remind you, by the
way, that were the books, or rather the
boOkshelves, or the museum stretched
out in line their length would be over 100
miles. There are in all something like
100000 volumes. A copy of each book
published in London must be deposited
in this treasure trove of literature. But
to return to Nudes. One guinea per
annum, about IS, entities the subscriber
to takes out one book at time. This
annual sum is increased according to the
number of books desired at each selec.
ton.
Then there is the London library, ~ St.
James square. From this library, called
the st. James ibrary, you may take
eight books day; this costs three
guineas year.
Then there is the w. C. Smith & Sons,
1875 Strand, near the noted Charing Cross
railway station, which station is five min.
utes' walk from the National gallery, off
Pail Mall, fronting Trafalgar square. W.
G.. Smith was the character study for Sir
lied in Gilbert IL Sullivans famous
comic opera of "Pinafore." Mr.. Smith
has been secretary of war. and was sec.
retary of the navy, or first lord of the ad.
miralty, now leader of the house of COM
mons.
Nudes is patronized chiefly by novel
readers. 1t is one of the sights of Lon.
don to see people hocking into isplace,
and at stated times to watch the packages
of books being done up to send all over
the kingdom, not only England, but Ire
land, Scotland, and Wales being yearly
patrons of Nude who have their own
express, like our American expresses, en-
gagged IN the safe conveyance Of books to
their hundreds of readers. If you pay
five guineas Tor $25) pei. year you may
take out twenty-five volumes at time
during the year. Every few months they
have sale of books at absurdly low
prices. In London and the suburbs they
deliver books through town agents, called
the London Book Society,"" Each year
a catalogue for subscribers is published
at Is 3D., or 36 cents. This is over 800
pages of good size The clerks at Mudie's
are most polite. They are. as at the Brit
ish museum, mainly gentlemen of good
family, who thus seek to augment small
income. Many an antiquarian stands
behind one of Mudie's counters.
The st. James library IS richly stocked
with books of reference. Indeed, it is a
sort of second British museum. People
go there to read the magazines, news
papers, and whatever books they care to
consult. The atmosphere is studious.
the rooms admirably lighted and venti-
lated. The time given IN which to read a
new book-one published within year
is fourteen days from the day 1t is taken
out At Smiths in the Strand we do not
see such an aristocratlc list of subscrlb.
ers as at the st. James. Smiths is a fav
orite library for clerks of a better sort,
and of reporters for newspapers-the
people, in fact, to whom knowledge is
power" in that they make it so. If the
library has no particular book it cheer
fully obtains it when asked.
The "GrOsvenOr" is musical library
mainly. People 60 there, read, ascend
the stairs. gaze at pictures, and descend
at the GrosvenOr cafe or tea rooms under
meath. The cafe is a favorite rendezvous
for members of the library. With all due
propriety ladies may make it place OF
meeting. Let me observe parer thetically
it is usuallg bad form for ladies to make
appointments at public restaurants in
London. Pastry cooks shops and library
cafes are quite the proper thing. Sub.
scriptions to all the club privileges OF
the library vary from one to four guineas
| year. The latter allows of eight books
| at time, together with the use of the
referencel library and writing rooms. II
has often been asked, why do English
| writer's choose to publish their books in
three volumes? Well, as each prominent
library takes out 1000 copies of new
books by we'll. known writer's. the ques
ton is easily solved.
There are public libraries, such as the
Bethnal Green, the Birkbeck library, ant
Scientific Institution. The Birkbeck il
on Chancery lane, near the haunts of Law
clerks and lawyers; the British museum
already referred to; GuilGaall library, il
London city proper, and not far off Sior
College library, London wall, mainly
patronized by clergymen, and rich il
ecclesiastical lore; st. Pancras library
Worklngmen's College library, in Grea
Ormond street, round about Nude 8. an(
the same in South London at Kenslngton
There are siXty-eight district libraries
and there are numberless penny reading
rooms, even halfpenny ones. Here, a
the names imply, you pay the small coil
to read as long as you like. 10 certain
extent the penny reading rooms on thu
Strand are patronized by all classes, wh'
drop in and out to read up some desirct
point. There are. besides, the "lendin,
paper shops" For penny you ma,
have the London Times for an hour; alst
other papers at the same sum. Thi
paper is three-penny, or six cent, jour
nal.
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